edithrouth: CyHi The Prynce Says Kanye, Akon Pledged To 'Enhance' His Music

Friday, July 1, 2011

CyHi The Prynce Says Kanye, Akon Pledged To 'Enhance' His Music

'It's just like Shady and Aftermath,' MC says of being signed to G.O.O.D. Music, Konvict and Def Jam.
By Alvin Blanco, with reporting by Sway Calloway

CyHi the Prynce
Photo: MTV News

If you want to get technical, Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music deal with Def Jam puts Atlanta rapper CyHi the Prynce back where he's been throughout his career. And that makes him all the more confident that big-label status won't change his music.

"Def Jam is like family, for real," he said on "RapFix Live" this week. His history with the label began back when CyHi was part of a Georgia rap group called Hoodlum that was signed to Def Jam through Jazzy Pha's Sho'Nuff imprint. After the group split a couple of years later and CyHi embarked on a solo career, his relationship with a pair of execs kept him in the family.

"When I went solo, I came back and revisited the situation, due to my relationship with L.A. Reid and my relationship with Bu Thiam," CyHi told MTV News. At the time, Reid was Island Def Jam's chairman and Thiam, Akon's younger brother, was (and still is) an A&R at the label. CyHi was signed to Akon's Konvict Music imprint in 2009. And then last year, Kanye West caught wind of his talents and recruited him to join his Grammy Family.

"I've been at Def Jam all my life; it's just, you know, the big heads put it all together," CyHi explained of the new relationship with Kanye's group and the label. "By G.O.O.D. Music actually getting their label deal there, and I'm already there, it just solidifies me more, [increasing] the possibility of an album coming soon."

As for how Konvict and G.O.O.D. Music interact on his behalf, and split any due proceeds, CyHi offered an analogy for the joint venture: "It's just like Shady and Aftermath. It's just like G-Unit and Aftermath. It's the same thing. I'm not a stingy guy. My thing ain't to get rich. ... Their check is a joint venture. That's between Konvict and G.O.O.D. Music. They going to split that, then I just do me."

The "Royal Flush" rapper was also adamant that both Konvict and G.O.O.D. Music only have his best interest at heart and that the plan is to augment his talent, not switch up his style.

"When you self-made and you do it yourself, they all come to complement what you have done," CyHi said. "I got with 'Ye, I been like this. They was like, 'I don't want to change nothing about you; I just want to enhance it.' Same with [Konvict], 'We just want to enhance.' It's a great relationship with everybody. My team is what really makes me who I am. Teamwork makes dreams work."

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